Update: Snow passes through North Jersey with another storm on its way

By JIM NORMAN

staff writer |

The Record

Wasn’t it a beautiful snowstorm? After Monday’s pretty-as-a-picture taste of winter, which left an old-timey white frosting almost 8 inches deep in some places in North Jersey, get ready for Mother Nature’s follow-up punch Tuesday night — up to 10 inches of snow, sleet and freezing rain.

Rich Gallagher of Glen Rock uses a snow blower to clear his driveway Monday as the snow falls.

But wait, there’s more: The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm advisory predicting a slick topping of up to a quarter of an inch of ice by the time it’s all over on Wednesday afternoon.

“The morning commute will be a treacherous one,” said Joe Pollina, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “Ice will accumulate on trees and power lines, and there is a good chance we will see some power outages in the area from downed limbs and lines.”

The nasty weather is the result of two storm systems, one moving in from the southern plains of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, and the other developing off the Atlantic coast, Pollina said.

Then, after a dry period through Friday, Pollina said, another storm system will sweep through from the Gulf states, bringing the possibility of even more winter weather.

Accumulations for the storm just ended were as deep as 7.9 inches in Bergenfield, 7.8 inches in Wayne, 7.6 inches in Paramus and 6.2 inches in Ringwood, said Bob Ziff, the spokesman for North Jersey Weather Observers.

PSE&G reported that about 3,000 customers lost power as a result of the wet, heavy snow that coated tree limbs and power lines. But by late evening, power was restored to all but 725 customers scattered throughout the utility’s service area, a spokesman said.

Crews were dispatched to work throughout the night to restore service, said a spokesman for the utility, which has 2.2 million electric customers in New Jersey.

Monday’s snow also caused problems for travelers. The New Jersey State Police said they responded to nearly 300 calls for service, mostly car accidents. And travelers hoping to get home after the Super Bowl faced extensive delays, with 25 percent of flights out of Newark’s Liberty International Airport canceled and other flights running as much as two hours behind schedule.

PSE&G also cautioned that trees and power lines would be vulnerable to accumulations of ice in the new storm. It warned people encountering downed lines to consider them live and to stay away.

Other cautions from the utility:

Do not approach or drive over a downed power line.

Do not touch anything that a downed power line might be in contact with.

Warn children to stay far away from downed power lines.

PSE&G asked people who see power lines down to report them by calling 800-436-PSEG.

Update: Snow passes through North Jersey with another storm on its way

Rich Gallagher of Glen Rock uses a snow blower to clear his driveway Monday as the snow falls.

By JIM NORMAN

staff writer |

The Record

Wasn’t it a beautiful snowstorm? After Monday’s pretty-as-a-picture taste of winter, which left an old-timey white frosting almost 8 inches deep in some places in North Jersey, get ready for Mother Nature’s follow-up punch Tuesday night — up to 10 inches of snow, sleet and freezing rain.

But wait, there’s more: The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm advisory predicting a slick topping of up to a quarter of an inch of ice by the time it’s all over on Wednesday afternoon.

“The morning commute will be a treacherous one,” said Joe Pollina, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “Ice will accumulate on trees and power lines, and there is a good chance we will see some power outages in the area from downed limbs and lines.”

The nasty weather is the result of two storm systems, one moving in from the southern plains of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, and the other developing off the Atlantic coast, Pollina said.

Then, after a dry period through Friday, Pollina said, another storm system will sweep through from the Gulf states, bringing the possibility of even more winter weather.

Accumulations for the storm just ended were as deep as 7.9 inches in Bergenfield, 7.8 inches in Wayne, 7.6 inches in Paramus and 6.2 inches in Ringwood, said Bob Ziff, the spokesman for North Jersey Weather Observers.

PSE&G reported that about 3,000 customers lost power as a result of the wet, heavy snow that coated tree limbs and power lines. But by late evening, power was restored to all but 725 customers scattered throughout the utility’s service area, a spokesman said.

Crews were dispatched to work throughout the night to restore service, said a spokesman for the utility, which has 2.2 million electric customers in New Jersey.

Monday’s snow also caused problems for travelers. The New Jersey State Police said they responded to nearly 300 calls for service, mostly car accidents. And travelers hoping to get home after the Super Bowl faced extensive delays, with 25 percent of flights out of Newark’s Liberty International Airport canceled and other flights running as much as two hours behind schedule.

PSE&G also cautioned that trees and power lines would be vulnerable to accumulations of ice in the new storm. It warned people encountering downed lines to consider them live and to stay away.

Other cautions from the utility:

Do not approach or drive over a downed power line.

Do not touch anything that a downed power line might be in contact with.

Warn children to stay far away from downed power lines.

PSE&G asked people who see power lines down to report them by calling 800-436-PSEG.